Transparent electrodes based on spray coated fluorine-doped tin oxide with enhanced optical, electrical and mechanical properties

Abstract

Transparent and conducting FTO coatings are fabricated via ultrasonic spray pyrolysis achieving exceptional optical, electrical and mechanical properties.

Highly Conductive and Visibly Transparent p-Type CuCrO2 Films by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis

“…Transparent electrodes, and especially transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), are fundamental components of many optoelectronic devices including solar cells, LEDs, electrochromics, and touchscreen displays because they combine high electrical conductivity and optical transparency in the visible region, making it possible for visible radiation to enter or exit the device and, at the same time, providing electrical contacts. , The majority of research on TCOs has focused mainly on n-type materials such as indium oxide doped with tin (ITO), − tin oxide doped with fluorine or antimony, − and zinc oxide doped with aluminum or gallium. − On the other hand, p-type TCOs are much less developed and studied, and they still require considerable research effort before they can become a viable industrial alternative due to their inferior electrical and optical properties. For example, Cu 2 O and Co 3 O 4 are both widely used p-type semiconductors, but they strongly absorb within the visible range (band gap energy: 2.3–2.4 eV for Cu 2 O and 2.19 eV for Co 3 O 4 ) and have lower conductivities (∼10 –6 S cm –1 for Cu 2 O and ∼10 –3 S cm –1 for Co 3 O 4 ) when compared to more established n-type TCOs. − Therefore, these optical and electrical properties are not suitable for application as transparent electrodes.…”

“…Among all the solution-based methods, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) is very attractive because it enables precise control of the deposition parameters, is suitable for large area deposition, and minimizes both material use and precursor waste. As such, USP has been employed for the deposition of both n- and p-type transparent conductive oxide layers, ,, including CuCrO 2 . ,, However, in CuCrO 2 , these spray-deposited coatings are still far inferior in terms of electrical properties when compared to vacuum-deposited coatings. The best electrical conductivity achieved for the CuCrO 2 film deposited by spray pyrolysis is ∼35 S cm –1 , but the majority of the reported values are well below 10 S cm –1 . ,,− Therefore, it is still vital to improve both the electrical and optical properties of these CuCrO 2 coatings deposited from solution-based methods to provide a viable alternative to vacuum-deposited thin films.…”

“…Among all the solution-based methods, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) is very attractive because it enables precise control of the deposition parameters, is suitable for large area deposition, and minimizes both material use and precursor waste. As such, USP has been employed for the deposition of both n-and p-type transparent conductive oxide layers, 10,11,27 including CuCrO 2 . 32,33,50 However, in CuCrO 2 , these spray-deposited coatings are still far inferior in terms of electrical properties when compared to vacuum-deposited coatings.…”

Path toward the Performance Upgrade of Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells Using Cu2ZnSn1–xGexS4 as a Hole Transport Layer: A Theoretical Simulation Approach

“…On the other side, a thin Spiro-OMeTAD of 200 nm was overlaid the underneath FASnI 3 perovskite as the HTL and gold electrodes are used as the back contact. Material properties of the FASnI 3 layer are set according to the experimental values as reported in the previous literature. ,,− The carrier density of the FASnI 3 layer is ∼10 19 cm –3 , which is found to decrease by two orders of magnitude in the presence of the SnF 2 additive with a desired hole density of ∼10 17 cm –3 . As discussed by Lee et al, SnF 2 in the initial perovskite precursor solution acts as a reducing agent and increases the formation energy of Sn vacancies which ultimately reduces the defect concentration and metallic conductivity .…”

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